Discussion

In my opinion, and based on what each student posted for their word association, it seems as if religion is held with higher esteem in French culture, in comparison to American. Even though both groups used about the same number of words to describe their annoyance with religion, the French side seemed to have more instances of words which alluded to a more spiritual self (such as valeur, foi, dieu, sacre, etc). I realize that as the world grows larger in number it also grows smaller, as it mixes, and our differences begin to melt away. As a result of this I believe that certain things such as heritage or tradition is sometimes lost. My first question would be whether or not the French people as a majority still identify with a single particular religion? Another question that I have, is whether religion plays a large role in your everyday life?

I noticed that Americans tend to focus on the bureaucracy of relgion, referring to its hierarcy, power, influence, and closed-mindedness. On the other hand, the French tend to take a more romantic approach. They focus on God, Faith, its potential for unity and the love that should stem from religion. Or, they focus on the holy wars caused by the convictions of their combatants. Since France borders many other countries, their international perspective of life is shown when they various religious sects.

According to my observation, I find the data consistent to my opinion about the topic. There are simply two groups of people when giving their thoughts about the topic. On both sides, the French's and the American's, it is interesting that about half the people responded very positively while the remaining half wrote negatively about the topic. For example, while some write that it is necessary and essential, other wrote find religion a mistake, and the ultimate cause of conflicts. Something subtle that I do not understand is that while on the American side Judaism appeared several times along with Christianity, Muslims was dominant on the French side. Why is this so?

While it may be true that Americans in general are becoming less religious, it is also true that conservative christians and evangelists make up very vocal lobbyist groups, especially within the red states. This of course creates much debate within American politics, of which a well known example would be the governmental funding of various scientific research. Examples are abound in decision making about what Americans perceive to be moral (eg. abortion, homosexuality, sex education, etc.) Following the aftermath of 9/11, racial (and indirectly religious) profiling was a major concern, as was the sudden spike in violence towards those thought to be of the Islamic faith. Another area in which religion has stirred up political debate, are the tax breaks that are received exclusively by organizations affiliated with the Christian faith as opposed to other non-affiliated organizations that receive no such benefits. The US's foreign policy toward the middle east is in part influenced by lobbyist groups that support Israel.
MIT students are diverse and tend to lean toward a more liberal line of thought, and as such, do not place much importance in (the Christian) religion that is, in the media, currently closely associated with right-wing conservatives. Regardless of whether such importance will remain, in the American politics of today, religious debate still plays an influential role in the sway of public opinion and is inadvertently tied to the decisions of policy-makers.

While it may be true that Americans in general are becoming less religious, it is also true that conservative christians and evangelists make up very vocal lobbyist groups, especially within the red states. This of course creates much debate within American politics, of which a well known example would be the governmental funding of various scientific research. Examples are abound in decision making about what Americans perceive to be moral (eg. abortion, homosexuality, sex education, etc.) Following the aftermath of 9/11, racial (and indirectly religious) profiling was a major concern, as was the sudden spike in violence towards those thought to be of the Islamic faith. Another area in which religion has stirred up political debate, are the tax breaks that are received exclusively by organizations affiliated with the Christian faith as opposed to other non-affiliated organizations that receive no such benefits. The US's foreign policy toward the middle east is in part influenced by lobbyist groups that support Israel.
MIT students are diverse and tend to lean toward a more liberal line of thought, and as such, do not place much importance in (the Christian) religion that is, in the media, currently closely associated with right-wing conservatives. Regardless of whether such importance will remain, in the American politics of today, religious debate still plays an influential role in the sway of public opinion and is inadvertently tied to the decisions of policy-makers.

In my opinion, and I know many would disagree with me, but for me, religion in the United States is more like something you have to have rather than something you truly care about. When asking anyone in the United States what their religion is, the most often response you'll get is "Christianity." But they're only Christians in title. Most Americans don't go to church nor do they participate in religious activities. For Americans, religion is more like just a status that one gives because they feel like they must have one. Is religion like that in France? Are most people just Catholics by "title"?

The United States is also a country that officially has no religious affiliation. In our constitution, the first amendment dictates that there will be freedom of religion, and our supreme court has interpreted this to mean that there is a "wall of separation" between church and state. Because of this, there have been recent lawsuits concerning the nature of religion in American life. A few years ago, there was a case regarding a dispute of whether or not a student had to say the "pledge of allegiance" at school because in had the words "under God" in it. Just in case you don't know, the pledge of allegiance is this short commemoration to the United States flag that many elementary school students are told to recite everyday. There was also another lawsuit over whether or not one can display the 10 Commandments in public places.

Most citizens in the US are christian. But we do try to enforce a separation of church and state, for the same reasons as our original colonists. However, I can't say that Bush's stance of religious issues hurt him in the election. Those who don't find religion important in a political campaign, would ignore his views. However, there is a good portion of the US that find religion and morality very important in their lives, and therefore, are concerned with the religious and moral preferences of others. These people tend to be conservative religiously, against abortion and gay marriage. Bush mentioned some of these controversial topics during his elections, which appealed to these groups. These people tend to find morality and religion synonymous, so Bush's religious statements provided them a sense of good character in Bush. While these groups couldn't win the election for him, mentioning these views could help tip the balance in his favor, and Bush had a very close election.

It is a great irony that America is simultaneously deeply religious and resolutely secular. What, and i direct this question to everyone, do you think are the forces in place which uphold this seemingly unnatural state of affairs? Certainly the Constitution is one such force. What are others?